2023 UCSF Alumni Awards Honor Innovators and Care Providers Leave a comment
By Susan Godstone
The Alumni Association of UC San Francisco (AAUCSF) has named the six UCSF Alumni Achievement Awards winners for 2023. These awards honor alumni across UCSF’s four schools — Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy — and the Graduate Division for their extraordinary contributions to clinical practice, research, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, service, and mentorship, as well as early-career success.
Catherine Lucey, MD, UCSF executive vice chancellor and provost, bestowed the awards at this year’s UCSF Alumni Weekend in April. Dr. Lucey was joined by Brian Komoto, PharmD ’81, president of the AAUCSF.
Photo by Sonia Yruel
“These awards honor an outstanding group of alumni, all models of unwavering dedication in improving health, advancing our scientific knowledge through research, and training the next generation. Their work exemplifies UCSF and our graduates, and they truly make us proud.”
Catherine Lucey, MD, Resident Alum
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UCSF
Sang “Sam” Pak, DPT ’06
2023 Alumni Entrepreneur Award
This award recognizes an alum who demonstrates the highest caliber of innovation in science or health care through risk-taking actions or value-creating transformations.
After completing an undergraduate degree in accounting, Dr. Pak pursued his passion for physical therapy. But he quickly recognized the power of new electronic health record software to improve the quality of care, not just for one patient but for many.
Kelly C. Lee, PharmD ’00, MAS
2023 Alumni Practitioner Award
This award honors an alum whose work is marked by boundless clinical empathy, understanding, and caring within health care.
Dr. Lee is an internationally recognized psychiatric pharmacy leader focused on breaking down the stigma and barriers to mental health care. She created the first psychiatric residency program at UC San Diego Health.
Andrew C. Chan, MD, PhD, Clinical Fellow Alum
2023 Alumni Discovery Award
This award honors an alum who has made outstanding achievements creating positive change through basic science/health care research and has brought distinction to themselves and the UCSF community.
Dr. Chan is a physician-scientist, accomplished immunologist, and rheumatologist. His research at Genentech, in collaboration with UCSF and other academic institutions, has led to the development of multiple medicines for life-threatening diseases, including the first B cell-directed therapy for multiple sclerosis.
Joshua Y. Yang, MTM ’16
2023 Alumni Early-Career Award
This award honors an alum who has graduated or completed training within the last 10 years (2012-2022), has advanced rapidly in their career, and has displayed significant achievement in the areas of leadership and professional success, pushing the boundaries of science and health care.
Bioengineer and entrepreneur Josh Yang is taking innovations from academic institutions and accelerating the development of new technologies to ultimately benefit patients. He is listed in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare. He is already the CEO and co-founder of his second startup.
Mary Ann C. McCammon, MS ’76, PhD ’79 (Posthumous)
2023 Alumni Humanitarian Service Award
This award recognizes an alum who has made a transformative contribution to their local community, the nation, or the world who has helped make it a better place. These honorees have achieved recognition for making a noteworthy, positive change to the human condition through health care and science.
For nearly six decades, the late Mary Ann McCammon worked through her practice, teaching, and research to improve the health and welfare of women and girls affected by poverty, pregnancy, abuse, and disability. The culmination of her life’s work was the creation of the nonprofit Quilts for Empowerment.
John H. Ino, DDS ’70
2023 Alumni Mentor Award
This award recognizes an alum who has devoted their career to inspiring, mentoring, and educating the next generation of scientists and health care providers.
Students thrive under Dr. Ino’s mentorship, learning critical-thinking skills and clinical reasoning while delivering compassionate dental care. His contribution to education in the U.S. and Japan has led to many mentees pursuing careers in academic medicine and research around the world.
Seeking Nominations
The AAUCSF is now seeking nominations for the 2024 UCSF Alumni Achievement Awards. The submission period closes on October 21, 2023. All UCSF alumni, including former residents, fellows, and postdocs, are eligible. Please help us find the most deserving winners, whom we will celebrate at Alumni Weekend 2024.
